Innovating Hydrometry in the Himalayas: Highlights from the WMO HydroHub–MOXXI Workshop in Roorkee

Project update
05 November 2025

The Himalayas—home to critical freshwater sources—face growing challenges from climate change, glacial melt, and extreme events. Strengthening observation networks is key to protecting lives, livelihoods, and ecosystems across the region.

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On 11 October 2025, during the IAHS Scientific Assembly 2025 in Roorkee, India, WMO HydroHub and MOXXI Working Group, with the financial support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), brought together researchers, innovators, and practitioners to explore how hydrological innovations can support water monitoring challenges in the Himalayas.

The workshop featured a full day of interactive exchanges, practical demonstrations, and regional dialogue.
Opening remarks given by Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Permanent Representative of India with WMO and third-vice President of WMO, underscored the importance of connecting research and operational practices to enhance hydrological observation networks. National representatives and researchers from India, Bangladesh and Nepal outlined the realities of water monitoring in the Himalayas, from the logistical challenges of data collection in rugged terrains to the need for affordable, scalable, and reliable technologies. 

Innovators and operational hydrologists reflected on concrete lessons learned from pilot studies using low-cost open-source water level sensors in the Andean, and from transitioning image velocimetry to operational use in Australia.

The afternoon session took participants from discussion to practice, with hands-on activities at IIT Roorkee’s Hydraulics Lab. Participants engaged directly with non-contact monitoring instruments such as a water-level sensor and image velocimetry tools. A LIDAR sensor (implemented in India under the HydroHub 2nd Innovation Call) was showcased as a low-cost, open-source and easy to set-up alternative for continuous monitoring of water level in remote areas. The DischargeKeeper, an image-based system using video analysis, allows quick measurements of flow velocity and provide the water level and discharge data. Complementing this, the DischargeApp is a mobile application that allows users to capture a short video on their phone, process it in the app and calculate surface velocity and discharge. All these methods are particularly advantageous for remote and dangerous areas in the Himalayans.

Participants test and compare water level sensor and image-based river monitoring tool in IIT Roorkee Hydraulics Laboratory, India
IIT Roorkee

The workshop concluded with a shared commitment to strengthen the research-to-operations cycle — by piloting new technologies, strengthening partnerships, and empowering national hydrological services across the region.